SURPRISED? World Leaders Graciously Welcome Trump as the Next American President

Even as protests erupted in cities and on campuses across America, world leaders reacted with diplomacy and, for most the part, cautious optimism after the surprise election of Donald Trump on Tuesday, expressing hope that a new era of cooperation could begin.

Trump has vowed to renegotiate trade deals that are less than advantageous to the U.S., including the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, which President Obama has pushed as part of his legacy.

Specifically, Trump has singled out China as one country that will have to deal his famed skills as a dealmaker, but the Chinese government telegrammed the president-elect a surprisingly hopeful message.

“Two mature big powers like the U.S. and China will handle things well. We look forward to working together with the new U.S. administration to push forward consistent, healthy and stable relations which could be beneficial to the people of the two countries and to the world.”

But it was with respect more to adversaries and antagonists that the comments were scrutinized for a sign as to how the incoming Trump administration would work to reconcile policy differences on issues such as the mass migration of Muslims from the Syria and Iraq to Europe, terror attacks by ISIS, as well as Russian encroachment into Crimea, Ukraine and involvement in the Middle East.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said, “It is not an easy path, but we are ready to do our part and do everything to return Russian and American relations to a stable path of development. This would be good for both the Russian and American people and have a positive impact on the climate of world affairs.”

Putin and Obama have had a rocky relationship, and Clinton’s infamous “reset” in the early days of her tenure as Secretary of State missed the mark as badly as the inaccurate translation, which read in Russian: “overcharged, overloaded.”

President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico, who Trump met with in August after sealing the Republican nomination, said he “hopes the two countries will work together to form a stronger relationship,” avoiding mentioning the wall along the border between the two countries – or Trump’s vow to make Mexico bear the cost of its construction.

Not all messages were as friendly and optimistic. Not surprisingly, Iran President Hassan Rouhani bluntly said the U.S. election would not impact his countries policies whatsoever, claiming that Trump’s win, “reflected internal discontent and instability within the U.S.”

Referencing the Iran nuclear deal, another Obama legacy project, Rouhani warned Trump, “we expect the international community to require this of the United States of America.”

Trump has his work cut out starting January 21, 2017 when he takes over the reins of government mending fences in some cases and building them in others.